


Bring Him Home

by sometimesimakebadchoices



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Amamiya Ren's Father, Amamiya Ren's Mother - Freeform, Child Abuse, Coffee Dad Sakura Sojiro, F/M, Good Parent Sakura Sojiro, He's Ren here kids, Minor Violence, Niijima Sae (mentioned) - Freeform, Panic Attacks, Ren is from Inaba, Takemi Tae (mentioned) - Freeform, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:00:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24117655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sometimesimakebadchoices/pseuds/sometimesimakebadchoices
Summary: Sojiro really should have been more worried that Ren never once mentioned his parents during his year in Tokyo.Trigger Warning--- There are depictions of child abuse and panic attacks. If that's something that bothers you please keep that in mind before reading.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Okumura Haru, Kitagawa Yusuke/Sakura Futaba, Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 34
Kudos: 452





	1. Homeward Bound

Over the year that Ren had spent in Tokyo Sojiro had gotten to know the boy better than the man had ever imagined. His plan had been to let the kid live in the attic for a year and send him on his way, hopefully on a somewhat better path than he had been when he’d come to him. Turns out Ren had come and not only changed Sojiro’s life for the better but changed the lives of many of those around him and by the end of it, changed the entire world. He had saved it, in fact. It still blew the man’s mind. 

So, needless to say, when the time came for Ren to go back home, he was heartbroken. He loved that kid like a son, and honestly wouldn’t mind just having him stay in Tokyo. It’s not like his parents seemed all that concerned about his whereabouts. They never even called once during the kid’s probation to check on him or see how he was doing. When he thought on it, it was strange, and made him want to ask to kid if his home life was okay. Ask him if he would rather stay in Tokyo, but he didn’t want to pry. Ren would come to him if he was truly in trouble. Well, Sojiro liked to think that he would after everything they had been through over the past year. 

He couldn’t get rid of the feeling though, that he should’ve been more worried as the kid walked out of Leblanc for the last time until Summer vacation came. Should’ve pressed more on just what his parents were like, or if it bothered him that they never called. He should’ve done something looking back on it. He’s not sure what he should’ve done, but something. Then maybe none of this would’ve happened. 

Ren smiled as his friends drove away, Ryuji sticking his head out the top and waving enthusiastically. He knew it was only a matter of time before he saw them again, but it felt like it was going to be forever. He just had to make it to July, then they could go on their summer vacation and everything would be fine. He only had to make it through one more year, then he could move back to Tokyo for good and never step foot in this god-forsaken village ever again. He heaved a deep sigh and turned to walk down the street towards his house. 

“Woah!” Morgana gasped, looking out as they approached his house. “It’s HUGE!” he cried out, trying to take it all in. It was rather Western, and kind of clashed with Inaba’s more traditional small-town feel, but the cat couldn’t help but be impressed. Ren let out a small laugh and smiled indulgently. 

“Yeah... My parents work really high up for a shopping chain called Junes.” He shrugged as he unlocked the door and stepped in, toeing off his shoes before fully entering. “I’m home.” he called weakly. Almost too quiet for anyone but Morgana to hear. The cat shifted from his perch on his friend’s shoulder. 

“It’s really quiet... Shouldn’t your parents be here? They haven’t seen you in a year, right?” Ren just sighed, but it seemed to be more in relief than disappointment. 

“It’s fine.” he answered shortly. “They’re really busy people. I’m sure they just got caught up at work or something.” With that ending the conversation Ren headed back towards a hallway on the right and opened the second door they came to on the left. 

“Wow, this is way nicer than that old attic, huh?” Morgana leapt off of Ren’s shoulder and onto the bed, taking the room in. It wasn’t as big as the attic but was much nicer. It definitely needed dusting but was otherwise spotless. Ren exhaled deeply as he took in his surroundings. 

“I dunno, I like the attic.” Morgana raised an eyebrow before curling up into a ball at the foot of the bed. 

“Still, it must be nice to finally be home, huh?” he wondered, looking around the room and its rather bare walls. He missed how Ren’s smile flickered. 

“Yeah... Home.” he murmured.


	2. April 28th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: For child abuse and a mild panic attack

The first month in Inaba was pretty uneventful. Ren started back school and for the most part everyone left him alone. Apparently, Ren hadn’t made that many friends his first year of high school and getting sent away for assault certainly didn’t make him popular. No one was inherently mean to him, but they didn’t talk to him either, Morgana noted. So, Morgana accompanied him around just like at Shujin, and they video chatted with the Thieves over their lunch breaks when they could. 

Home life was strange, to say the least. Ren avoided his parents like the plague. Morgana had probably only seen them for more than a passing second only two or three times. If he was being frank, that was more than enough. They were both stern-faced and held an aura of indifference that genuinely made the cat uneasy. They looked at Ren as if he was a piece of furniture in their house that didn’t quite match the rest of their décor. Ren would offer them weak smiles and good mornings when he saw them on his way to school, but other than that, the two of them spent the majority of their time either in Ren’s room or wandering the forests at the edge of town. 

The tension began to really build in the middle of April. Ren was beginning to sneak out and buy food, hoarding it away in a cut away in the wall beneath his bed he admitted to putting there when he was eleven. Morgana also hadn’t missed how he had begun to purchase make-up. He thought maybe it was for Haru, but it sat unopened in the bathroom, and it honestly looked way too cheap for Ren to buy for his girlfriend. It wasn’t until April 28th that it all came to a head though. 

Ren and Morgana had been relaxing that particular rainy Sunday. Time had slipped away from them until the sun had set and Ren stretched out his back. He stood and looked under his bed, cursing when he noticed he had run out of water bottles. 

“I’m gonna grab something to drink. Do you want anything?” The boy asked his friend. 

“No, thanks.” he answered, barely lifting his head from his paws. It was only a couple of minutes later when the first drunken and slurred words filtered in through Ren’s door. The cat frowned and leapt to the floor, creeping into the hallway. Ice blue eyes widened at the sight that greeted him in the kitchen. 

Ren’s Father had Ren’s right arm in a death grip, and the teenager had a water bottle clutched to his chest. 

“What ‘n the ‘ell d’you think yer doin’?” Ren’s nose crinkled as the smell of alcohol assaulted his senses. He gulped, storm cloud eyes dancing frantically around the kitchen but never meeting his Father’s. 

“I-I was just getting some water.” he stuttered out in reply, pulling weakly at his Father’s grip. 

“N’you thought you could jus’ take anything you want?” he snarled, shaking Ren for emphasis. 

Morgana let a fond smile cross his face as he watched Joker begin to replace Ren. 

“I bought my own drinks.” he answered, a little firmer than before. Rage passed over the man’s face, turning it an impressive shade of red. The change was so fast Morgana almost didn’t see it coming, but Ren was clearly ready. Too ready if the look of shock and horror that crossed his face as he blocked his Father’s punch was any indication. Ren finally wrenched himself free, stepping back as any sign of Joker melted away into sheer terror. 

“I-I’m sorry. I’m so-so sorry. I d-didn't.” he scrambled back until he hit the kitchen table. A cruel smile spread across his Dad’s face as he approached his son. 

“Got some balls finally, eh, Ren?” he sneered. Ren didn’t even try to block the next strike and Morgana dashed forward before he could even think. Blood was already gushing down his friend’s nose, but he still saw the black blur from the corner of his eyes. 

“No, please, stay away!” Ren cried, leaving a clear message for Morgana in the plea that appeared aimed at his Father. Morgana skid to a stop, unsure what to do. The attack stopped after that and Morgana couldn’t help but regret his hesitation. 

“Since you asked so nicely.” his father snapped as he snatched the water bottle from the ground and storming out of the kitchen. Ren inhaled sharply, whipped around, grabbed Morgana and retreated to his room. He locked the door and placed Morgana on the bed before sinking to the ground. 

The black cat laid down, resting his head against Ren’s shoulder. He bumped his head against his friend’s jaw. 

“Ren?” he murmured; voice flooded with concern. “Ren, breathe, please.” he begged as his friend took choppy rapid gasps. It took several minutes of gentle coaching from the cat, but Ren’s breathing finally evened out, thought his face was still scarily pale. 

“We need to go back to Tokyo.” Morgana murmured. 

“I c-can't.” Ren answered sullenly. 

“Why not!?” 

“I...” He stopped as he seemed to genuinely search for a reason. 

“Was this your life before you were sent to Tokyo?” Morgan asked his voice barely above a whisper. Ren’s nod was almost imperceptible. “Sojiro will fight for you. You know he will. If he knew about this—Don't make yourself suffer through this anymore. You don’t deserve it.” Ren simply shook his head, hair falling in front of his face. 

“I can’t ask that of him...” Morgana shot up, anger surging through him. 

“Of course you can!” 

“He’s done so much for me already! I graduate in a year, Morgana, then I’m free from this hell-hole for good. I can last that long.” Ren snapped. 

“Your Dad just beat the shit out of you!” 

“Yeah, it’s nothing new.” Ren mumbled. He shakily got to his feet and moved to his bathroom, wincing as he messed with the split skin on his cheek. He sighed and cleaned the wound before opening the concealer and hiding it far faster and smoother than Morgana thought he should have. “C’mon, I’ve got to stock up on more water for my room.” Ren said, effectively ending the conversation as he pulled his hoodie on. Morgana leapt onto his back and settled across his shoulders, letting a low rumbling purr flow through him, knowing it eased his friend’s nerves. That night was the first of many that the two would leave through the window instead of the front door.


	3. We Don't House Thieves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW- Language, Child Abuse, Injury to a minor

They went another month without incident. Ren avoided his parents and hoarded food and drinks like a pack rat. Morgana just prayed they could last for a year in this game of “avoid Ren’s parents.” At Ren’s request, Morgana never left his room without him, although the window was always cracked if he felt like exploring the town. The two often bought what they needed from the convenience store in the middle of the night in order to avoid running into his parents, and they were coming home from one of those runs when it all went to hell in a hand basket. 

They got to the window only for Ren to realize it was locked. The Phantom Thief went pale so fast the cat honestly thought he was going to pass out. 

“Ren?” Morgana pressed. 

“Shit! Shit-shit-shit!” He took a step back, only to collide into his Father’s chest. 

“In the house.” He snarled. “Now.” Right as they rounded the house to reach the front door he dropped Morgana, shutting the door behind him and locking the cat outside. 

Ren couldn’t say he wanted to face what he was about to alone, but he knew he couldn’t trust his Dad not to kill Morgana, and that was not a risk he was about to take. He’d definitely hear about it later though. 

“You really think you can sneak out of this house whenever you want to?” his father growled, slamming Ren against the wall of the entryway. Ren could already feel tears springing to his eyes. His Father wasn’t drunk. That meant this wasn’t fueled by a blind and mindless rage. He was going to be calculated, which meant Ren was about to get a case of the “flu” on his school records again. 

“I was just g-going out to the convenience store.” he whimpered, trying to shrink away. 

“At two in the fucking morning? You don’t get to come and go whenever you want anymore. This isn’t the big city, here you respect your fucking parents, do you hear me?” Ren nodded, eyes clenched shut. “ANSWER ME!” He slammed his hand against the wall, not even an inch from Ren’s face. Terror stricken grey eyes shot open. 

“Y-yes sir.” The man leaned back and seemed to find whatever he was looking for before releasing him. Ren felt relief wash through him. Maybe this was it for tonight. Maybe he really would just get off with a warning and a need to change his shopping schedule. He had a free period his parents didn’t know about, he could use that. That all flew out the window when his mother walked into the kitchen, all the food and drinks he had been storing up in her hands. 

“He’s been stealing from us.” He froze at the accusation, fear stabbing painfully through his chest. He eyes widened, head shooting back and forth between his parents. 

“N-no! No! I haven’t been stealing, I promise! I spent my own money on that!” he yelped. His dad turned to face him, rage painting his face a disgusting purple. 

“You wouldn’t have to hide it if you weren’t stealing.” Ren didn’t even see the first punch coming. The hit to his diaphragm sent the air straight out of his lungs and his legs collapsed beneath him. “WE DON’T HOUSE THIEVES!” The man roared and Ren honest to God couldn’t help the little smirk that crossed his face at that statement. “YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY YOU LITTLE SHIT?” Ren cried out in agony as his Father slammed his foot down on his right hand. Ren heard something crack and immediately cradled it against his heaving chest only to have the steel toed boot crash into his ribs. It seemed like forever before the kicks finally stopped. Leaving Ren wheezing in tiny breaths and tears dripping down his blood-soaked face. 

His Father crouched down, grabbing a fist full of black curls and lifting his head. Ren barely opened one eye to look at him. 

“You don’t leave this house until we say so. Am I clear?” Ren nodded weakly, coughing as he felt blood drip down the back of his throat from what had to have been a broken nose. The man threw him down, causing his head to crash painfully into the ground, sending stars across his already blurred vision. He grabbed his hood and dragged him into his room, locking the door with a horrifying sense of finality. It was with deep despair that Ren noticed his window had been nailed shut and his phone had fallen out of his pocket at some point during the beating. 

Ren dragged himself to his feet and collapsed into his bed, barely acknowledging Morgana’s form at the window before the darkness claimed him. 

“-en! Ren, please! Please, wake up!” Morgana’s voice barely filtered through the throbbing in his head. “C’mon, please. I can’t heal you anymore, you have to get up! JOKER!” Ren pried his eyelids open. Or one of them, something was stopping his left eye from opening at all. He saw the blurry form of his friend pawing at his chest. The cat sighed in relief once he realized his friend was finally awake. 

“Oh, thank god... I thought you were gonna die.” The cat collapsed in front of him, almost pressing his nose against the teenager’s. “I managed to sneak in through an air vent...” he murmured; answering Ren’s question before he could figure out how to make his mouth work again. “We need to get you to a hospital.” The cat looked around, as if an ambulance was going to appear in the room at any minute. Ren simply closed his eyes and let himself drift off again, despite the cat’s desperate plea for him to stay awake. 

Morgana kept a silent vigil while his friend slept. It was clear by how blown his right pupil was that he had a pretty severe concussion, and if the rattling wheezing was anything to go by, his ribs were in bad shape. It he stayed like this he was going to be in trouble, but Morgana felt helpless. He had managed to sneak back into the house, despite Ren’s parents attempts to seal the building. Though it was definitely more to keep Ren caged in than Morgana locked out. The cat doubted his parents even knew he was there. 

He had to do something to stop this though. Ren was in serious danger, right now. He was in no way able to defend himself should his Father decide he hadn’t learned his lesson, and despite still possessing his rebel spirit, Morgana was, for all intents and purposes, a cat. There was no way he could protect Ren like he was now. So, he laid down by his friend’s head and watched helplessly as blood stained the pillow beneath his head and hoped he would make it through the night. 

Futaba growled as she looked down at her phone. Six unanswered text messages and three missed calls. Ren never ignored her like this. The red head huffed as she shoved the device into her pocket. She knew she could just force the call through, but Sojiro had been talking to her about respecting the privacy of others or something dumb like that. 

“He still not answering?” the man wondered, leaning against the door frame. Futaba spun her chair around, glasses slightly askew as her eyebrows furrowed slightly. 

“No, and I’m getting a little nervous. He always texts me right back. It never fails!” She fiddled with her hoodie strings, trying not the let her anxiety overwhelm her. Ren was fine, he was back home with his family. She had talked to him yesterday. She tried not to think on how it took mere seconds for someone’s life to be ripped away as images of her mother flashed in her head. 

“Well, it is midterms. Give him until tomorrow. I’m sure he’s just studying.” Futaba nodded and pressed her lips into a thin line. 

“He just... He always answers...” she rose to her feet and walked towards Sojiro, leaning forward so her head could rest on his sternum. “Especially, if it’s important. He somehow always knows...” The older man sighed, resting a hand on the back of her head. 

“Just give him some time. Don’t go worrying over a few hours of silence. Why don’t you call Yusuke in the meantime and chat with him to keep your mind off of things?” The girl sniffed. 

“Like you said, it’s midterms. He’s working on a really big painting right now... C-can we... Can we just watch a movie together and then after can I call him again?” 

“Of course.” Sojiro smiled as the girl looked up at him, brown eyes glassy with un-shed tears. “Head down to the living room and pick out a movie while I make some hot chocolate and popcorn.” 

The next time Ren woke up the sun was peeking through the curtains in his room. The light that was cast across his eyes sent a stabbing pain through his skull and he immediately squeezed his eyes shut against the onslaught. His entire body ached in a way that he hadn’t felt since his time as a Phantom Thief. His chest burned with each breath he took, his right hand was killing him, and his head felt like it was about to explode. After a few minutes of trying to wrestle the pain into something that he could handle, Morgana’s soft even breathing broke through the fog. Each exhale rolled with a purr as the cat slept mere inches from the teenager’s face. 

Ice blue eyes fluttered open and he raised his head slowly. 

“Are you with me this time?” Morgana wondered, sounding exhausted. Ren furrowed his eyebrows as he slowly eased himself up to a seated position with his left hand. 

“I... I think...” Ren groaned and leaned forward. “I think I’m gonna be sick.” Ren fought back the wave of nausea that washed over him, gulping back the sticky saliva that gathered in his mouth. 

“At least you’re coherent.” Morgana mumbled. “You’ve been in and out of it all night.” Ren glanced up at his friend once he felt he wasn’t about to lose whatever was left in his stomach. “Do you remember what happened?” 

Ren honestly was hoping he was remembering incorrectly, but one glance at his window only confirmed what he thought to be true. 

“I’m on house arrest...” the boy murmured, hooded eyes lazily swimming around the room. “And I got my ass handed to me...” Ren groaned as he leaned himself up against the headboard, trying to take measured breaths as he did so. 

“We have to get you out of here.” Morgana began pacing anxiously at the foot of the bed. “He could’ve killed you!” He cried out. Ren sighed rubbing gently at his head and hissing when he hit the cut that rested across the bridge of his nose. He felt around and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it didn’t need to be reset. 

“I don’t think he’d go that far... I’ve been locked up before. It’ll blow over.” Ren didn’t sound all that convinced. Morgana walked up and sat on his lap, scowling up at his friend. He had developed deep bruising underneath both of his eyes, making him look like a raccoon, and his left one was nearly swollen completely shut. There was still blood caked all beneath his nose and around his mouth. 

“Ren you don’t know that. If he’s willing to go this far and leave you with no way of getting help? You have a concussion. You were lucky you didn’t die in your sleep last night... Or slip into a coma or something...” Morgana heaved out a shaky breath. “How is your chest?” The cat asked. Ren groaned and let his head fall back against his pillows. 

“I think he bruised my ribs. I don’t think any are broken though.” Ren lifted his right hand in front of him. It was a mottled canvas of purple and black bruising and was swollen to nearly twice its size. “That’s a problem...” Ren winced and looked like he kind of just began processing the damage that had been dealt to him. 

“Please...” Morgana pleaded, eyes locked on his Leader’s face. “Please call Sojiro.” 

“My phone fell out of my pocket...” Ren explained. “I don’t know where it is.” Morgana hopped up, a smile gracing his face. 

“Well, I can finally help! I can get into the vents! I’ll get your phone just please! Please, promise me you’ll call Sojiro! If you won’t do this for yourself, please. Do it for me. I can’t live with the guilt of watching you get hurt like this again while I stand by and do nothing.” Ren shook his head, wincing at the resulting spike of pain. 

“That’s not your fault, Morgana... You know that.” 

“It doesn’t matter. I may look like a normal cat, but I’m from the Metaverse. I’m not used to being as powerless as one! I can help. So, let me.” Ren finally nodded. 

“Please...be careful.” The cat nodded before hopping off the bed and leaping into the vent on the floor he had entered through last night. Ren carefully pried himself away from his bed and limped into the bathroom. He really, really wanted a shower, but he didn’t trust his body to hold him upright that long. So, he opted for wiping some of the crusted blood away from his face before his vision began greying at the edges and his legs gave out. 

He barely stopped himself from smashing his face into the sink and worsening his head injury. He felt hot tears prick at his eyes as memories of last night resurfaced. Ren didn’t even notice Morgana until the soft clack of something being placed on the floor broke his daze. The cat looked up at him, the phone between them. 

“Call him.” The ex-Phantom Thief simply nodded at the command, picking up his phone. He had several missed calls and texts from Futaba and the group chat had blown up. He dialed Sojiro’s number. It took four rings for him to answer. 

“Ren? Futaba’s been worried sick, you better have a good excuse for not responding to her.” Ren couldn’t hold back the choked sob that escaped his throat at the sound of the man’s gravelly voice. “Ren? What’s wrong?” 

“S-Sojiro... I n-need help.” he whimpered, voice cracking. He could hear some kind of rustling on the other end of the line. 

“Ren, what happened? What’s going on?” Before the boy could answer the door slammed open and he cried out when his Father stormed in. 

“Who the hell are you calling?” he barked. “How the fuck did you even get that damn phone?” Morgana had vanished into the shower, hoping that his Father wouldn’t notice him at the risk of Ren getting in bigger trouble for bringing home an animal. Ren didn’t have an answer. 

“Sojiro, please come get me.” Ren pleaded and then his Father was after him again. 

The café had been empty all day aside from Futaba, who had been staring endlessly at her phone as she waited for a response from Ren. She had been texting in their group chat periodically as well, but mostly just waited for Ren to reply. It was about eleven when Sojiro’s cell phone rang, and Ren’s contact photo lit up the screen. He smiled and lifted the phone showing it to Futaba, who nearly fell out of her booth to move to one of the bar stools. 

“Ren? Futaba’s been worried sick, you better have a good excuse for not responding to her.”   
He chided. There was a short pause and then a sound Sojiro would never forget broke the silence. Ren sobbed. The man had only seen the teenager cry a couple of times. Once when he got back from his interrogation and another when he returned from solitary. The boy’s voice was hoarse and weak, as he asked Sojiro for help. Then the sound of a door slamming resounded through the speaker. 

Futaba looked like she was about to cry, knowing something horrible was happening, but not being able to hear Ren’s side. 

“Sojiro, please come get me.” the boy had cried, actually cried out for Sojiro. Then the unmistakable sound of someone being beaten crossed the receiver. 

“Futaba, try and talk to him!” He snatched the girl’s phone from her hand and dialed 110. After relaying to them how he knew something was happening in Inaba and asking them to contact the police there the man looked back at his daughter. She had the phone clutched to her face, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

“The line went dead.” she sobbed as she let the phone fall limply from her hand onto the counter. “Dad, we have to do something!” 

Ryotaro Dojima wasn’t sure what to expect when he took a small team to the Amamiya mansion, but it definitely wasn’t what he had found. He knew that the kid had been neglected at the very least. The Amamiya’s had never wanted kids and they treated the poor boy like a nuisance. Then he had been accused of assault and sent off the Tokyo. The kid had come back, silent as ever, but the man hadn’t seen much of him. It wasn’t like he was particularly close with the kids in Inaba, but he would never wish this on any of them. 

They had received no answer at the door but the sound of a choked off scream was more than enough incentive for them to break down the front door. What they found was the poor kid pinned beneath his Father, whose hands were pressed tightly against his throat. The teenager’s struggling was almost non-existent at that point as he struggled to breathe. Ryotaro and his team had never acted so fast. 

“Police! Get off of him now!” The man turned, a frenzied look in his eyes. The kid gasped, curling up onto his side as painful coughs tore up his throat. He let his team handle the Father as he stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on the kid’s shoulder. A black cat leapt from the shower and desperate mewls escaped its mouth as it gently pressed its head against the kid’s. The Detective couldn’t help but see his nephew in this boy and it sent a shiver down his spine he couldn’t quite place. He gently rubbed up and down the kid’s spine. He was trembling as coughs wracked his frame. He looked like he had lost quite of bit of weight. 

“Alright, alright, kid you’re safe...” he murmured. “We’ve got you now.” When the teenager opened his eyes Ryotaro swore they flashed red for just a moment before they melted back to a steely grey. He shook off the absurd thought. “Can you tell me your name?” he wondered softly. His team had taken the boy’s Father somewhere, Ryotaro honestly hadn’t registered where, he had been so focused on the battered child in front of him. 

The kid’s first attempt at speaking was nothing more than a wheezy exhale. He took a couple of shaking breaths before trying again. 

“R-ren...” he whispered, eyes closing as he swallowed thickly. 

“Okay, Ren,” the detective breathed out. “We’re gonna get you some help.” The sound of a phone vibrating stole his attention from Ren. He had seven missed called in the past five minutes. He’s not sure how he didn’t hear it until now. He picked it up, answering. 

“Ren?” The voice was frantic on the other end. 

“You must be Sakura Sojiro... The man who reported the attack.” 

“Is Ren alright? Can I talk to him?” 

“He’s alive. We’re getting ready to take him to the local hospital. He’s not too coherent at the moment, so I doubt he can hold a conversation. We’re going to take good care of him.” 

“Please, let him know I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a little over an hour.” 

“I shall.”


	4. He'll Be Okay, Right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brief Description of Injury but it's nothing too graphic.

Ren’s ears were ringing as he drifted in and out of consciousness. He thought, for a brief moment, Arsene’s power sang in his ear, but nothing was making sense and everything. Hurt. So. Bad. It felt like every time he opened his eyes even for a moment, he was somewhere new. He faintly felt a cold fear at so many unknowns welling in his chest, but at the same time he was so tired, and his brain wasn’t really processing all of the information that was being handed to him. People were talking to him, pushing and pulling on his body and he just wanted all of the input to stop. It was too much. 

After what felt like an eternity something hard was put over his mouth and a rush of cool air entered his nose. It almost instantly began relieving a burning in his chest he hadn’t even realized was there. He greedily started gasping, desperately trying to get as much into his lungs as possible. 

“-right, sweetie.” a voice cut in. “-ot goin’ anywhere--- even breaths for me, okay?” Ren only caught bits and pieces, but the voice was calm and kind and nothing like either of his parents. The last thing he registered before darkness swallowed him whole, was Morgana crying out against being taken away. 

Sojiro and Futaba arrived at the hospital in Inaba around three-thirty, desperate for information on Ren. The two of them, along with a detective were ushered into a private office. Almost, immediately Morgana rushed at Futaba, leaping into her arms. The doctor who had brought them was a small middle-aged woman whose hair was just starting to grey. 

“I’m assuming you know his pet?” she wondered, gently scratching Morgana’s chin from where he rested in Futaba’s arms. The girl nodded. 

“He adopted him while he was living with us...” she spoke softly, moving slightly to hide behind Sojiro. 

“Alright, then, let’s cut to the chase, shall we?” She offered them all seats on the other side of her desk as she eased herself down. “Firstly, my name is Watanabe Sara, and I’ve been taking care of Mr. Amamiya for the most part since he arrived here. We had to take him into surgery to repair several brakes in his right hand and wrist. He got through it just fine and right now the nurses are cleaning him up and settling him into a room for recovery. Due to the nature in which he received his injuries we placed him in a single room so he can have some privacy to come to terms with everything.” 

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “We had to put pins in his wrist, so he’ll need another surgery later to have those removed. I don’t want to assume, but I’m fairly sure he won’t be staying in Inaba much longer. So, he’ll probably have to have that procedure at a different hospital or surgical center.” 

“I have a friend pulling up adoption papers now... I’d like to bring him back to Tokyo as soon as possible.” The man sitting next to them nodded. 

“My name is Ryotaro Dojima... I’m one of the officers that found Ren. His parents are currently in custody. They won’t be getting anywhere near him again anytime soon. Since, you’ve been his guardian before and if he wants it, I don’t think it’ll be hard for you to gain custody.” Sojiro nodded. 

“Thank you for saving him...That kid... He’s like a son to me.” Sojiro’s nerves were too shot for any kind of rough pretense. A gentle knock at the door announced the entrance of a young nurse. 

“Dr. Watanabe, he’s all set up in room 203.” Sara stood, thanking the young woman. 

“I’m sure you’re all anxious to see him, we’ll discuss his other injuries and how to manage them when’s awake.” Futaba began to hide Morgana in her jacket, but wasn’t exactly subtle about it. Sara offered her a warm smile. 

“No need for that, we’ll let the cat into Ren’s room. It’ll be our secret.” and with that they were being led down the hall and towards the kid. Ryotaro stopped at the door. 

“I have paper work to do, I would like to talk to him when he’s awake and up for it. I also know that the kid might not be able to process everything, so if he needs some time before he’s willing to make a statement I’ll wait for him.” and with that he left and the Sakura’s were left at the entrance of Ren’s room. Sara opened the door, allowing them in. 

Futaba gasped sharply and Sojiro couldn’t help the curse that slipped out of his mouth at the sight of the poor kid. Dark purple bruising was splashed along a pale face, and dark hand prints wound around his throat. His right hand was in a heavy cast and his bed was lifted slightly to help ease the pressure off of his chest and throat. He had a bulky oxygen mask over half of his face and several IV’s and monitors attached to him. 

Futaba carefully walked up to Ren’s bedside, tears dripping down her face. Morgana jumped onto the bed and curled up between his arm and heavily bandaged side. Sojiro gently laid a hand on Futaba’s shoulder. 

“He should be waking up within the next couple of hours. There is the possibility of him just sleeping for a while as well. He’s malnourished and sleep deprived, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it took him a little more time to come out of the anesthesia. The call button is on his left since he won’t be using his right hand for a while. Feel free to use it when he wakes up or if you need anything.” 

The doctor was right, it took almost three hours for Ren to wake up. Futaba, in that time, had fallen asleep in the chair. Ren’s eyebrows furrowed and a weak groan escaped his mouth. Sojiro immediately shot to attention from where he’d been idly scrolling through his phone to pass the time. Morgana had perked his head up as well from his spot at Ren’s side. 

“C’mon kid, come out of it for me.” Sojiro begged. It took the boy several tries but eventually he managed to pry his eyelids open. His eyes swam drunkenly around the room for a bit before they finally landed on Sojiro, and a tense posture the man hadn’t even realized he was holding melted at the sight of Ren awake and alive. Now, all he had to do was prove that brain of his was still working and they could go from there. “Good morning, glad you finally decided to join us.” he joked, trying to keep the mood light. Ren opened and closed his mouth and a look of confusion crossed his face, making his nose crinkle. He lifted his left hand heavily to paw at his face and the oxygen mask that was resting there. 

“Hey, now.” Sojiro leaned forward, gently grabbing the kid’s hand and placing it back by his side. “You need that, don’t go messin’ with it.” Ren didn’t seem to really process the command, but also didn’t seem too keen on trying to lift his hand again so Sojiro took it as a win. He continued to flex his jaw beneath the mask, looking entirely too flustered at its presence before finally managing to get a word out of his mouth. 

“W-what...” Ren’s voice was so shot Sojiro almost felt the pain that must’ve resulted from trying to speak. The kid’s wince at the action was enough to tell him it definitely wasn’t a pleasant experience. The man stood from his chair and leaned over, brushing a hand through Ren’s curls. They were getting long and were greasy and still had a little blood caking locks of raven hair together. 

“Maybe don’t talk yet... Your throat’s pretty banged up still.” The man pressed the call button and sat on the edge of the bed. “Are you in any pain?” He knew it was a stupid question, at the very least the kid’s throat was killing him, but he felt like he should ask anyways. 

Ren raised his left hand in a so-so gesture and that was already too much pain for Sojiro to be comfortable with. If he could he’d make sure his kid was so drugged he wouldn’t even remember any of the rough recovery that was sure to be ahead of him. He also knew that was incredibly unrealistic. 

“Okay, the doc’ll be in here in a minute to get ya’ sorted, okay?” Ren nodded, eyes already beginning to slip closed. 

He was barely coherent when a nurse came in and upped his pain meds and shifted him to a nasal cannula rather than the chunky oxygen mask. It was a little unnerving to see the kid so compliant if he was being honest. Ren had tried so hard to act tough after he’d come home from the interrogation in November. He didn’t want to admit to the trauma he’d been exposed to and therefore just claimed to be fine. Sojiro and the others saw the bullshit for what it was but didn’t really know how to call him on something so horrific. So, Sojiro had waited until the kid couldn’t handle it anymore and he had held him as he sobbed and recounted the horrible things they had done to him. Sojiro fully expected another moment like that would be coming his way, but this was entirely new ground. 

Ren’s father had tried to kill him. It terrified the man that Ren had had his life threatened twice in less than a year. Once at gunpoint from someone he thought could be a friend and the other by the hands of the one person that should have been shielding him from harm. Sojiro swore to himself, as he watched Ren try desperately to stay awake and answer the doctor’s questions, that as much as he could manage, he would keep this stupid, reckless kid as safe as humanly possible. 

Futaba was understandably disappointed when she woke up only to realize she had missed Ren’s “grand awakening.” Sojiro assured her there wasn’t much grand about it and he had fallen back asleep only a few minutes later. 

“Have you told anyone what’s been going on?” Sojiro asked, looking over as his daughter rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She leaned forward and grabbed Ren’s hand gently squeezing it. 

“No... Everything happened so quick. I don’t really know what to say. I mean, I don’t want to tell them all the details... I don’t feel like that’s my business.” 

Sojiro nodded but then he thought about Haru and sighed. 

“We need to tell them something. I’m gonna call Haru, you text everyone in the group chat afterwards, alright?” Futaba nodded as the man grabbed his phone and left the room. 

Sojiro looked at the time, realizing it was almost nine pm. He almost postponed calling her until the morning, not wanting to end her day on such an awful note, but he figured starting it on it wouldn’t be any better and dialed.


	5. Come Back Swingin'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay everyone! I had some medical stuff happen that kept me occupied for a bit but the rest should be up in the next couple of weeks! <3 ~ Kit

Despite what people might think of her, Haru was somewhat of a night owl, but as college loomed ever closer, she decided that she wanted to get on a better sleep schedule. She was reading to help calm her mind when her cellphone started ringing. She glanced over at the table, surprised to see Sojiro was calling her at such an hour. She couldn’t help the cold lump that gathered in her throat. 

“It’s probably nothing...” She told herself as she picked it up. “Sojiro!” She greeted cheerily. “What a surprise.” The man heaved a heavy sigh from the other side of the phone. 

“Haru, I’m sorry for calling so late, but it’s important.” Dread pooled in her stomach, Sojiro sounded exhausted. 

“Is everything, okay?” she wondered getting out of her bed and beginning to pace. 

“It’s going to be.” and honestly, that didn’t really do anything to ease her nerves. 

“What happened to him?” because it had to be him. There was no other reason for him to be calling her directly. Usually, emergencies were relayed through the group chat, unless it dealt with one of their significant others. So, if something happened to Ryuji or Ann they were contacted directly about the others condition before the group was alerted. 

“Haru, honey, are you sitting down?” he wondered and she appreciated his concern, but she needed to know. 

“Please, Sojiro, just tell me what happened.” she pleaded, trying not to let herself get carried away. 

“Ren’s father tried to kill him this morning,” Sojiro’s voice kind of stopped registering after that. There was no way. He would have told her something was happening. Right? He would’ve seen the signs? He would’ve asked for help before things got that bad. 

“-onna be alright. Haru? Haru, sweetheart, he’s gonna be okay. He’s hurt but he’s going to make a full recovery, I need you to tell me you understand that.” The girl gulped and noticed the burn of tears dripping down her face. 

“H-he’s gonna be alright...” she murmured quietly. “Where is he? He’s not alone, right?” she asked frantically, imagining what kind of horrors must be running through his mind. 

“Futaba and I are down here with him. He woke up briefly about twenty minutes ago. His throat is really damaged so I don’t know if he’ll be able to call you anytime soon, but he’s going to be coming back with us to Tokyo once he’s cleared for travel.” 

“For good?” she’s not really sure why that’s the first thing that comes out of her mouth. Sojiro huffs a humorless laugh. 

“Yeah, for good.” The girl collapsed back against her bed and stifled a sob. It took her a few minutes to gather herself. 

“I-I’m sorry... I’m sorry.” 

“Nothin’ to be sorry for. Get some rest and know that he’s gonna be just fine. Futaba will keep everyone updated in your Group Chat. I’m hoping we’ll be able to get him to Tokyo in a couple of days.” Haru sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. 

“Thank you for letting me know... Should I come down? I can cancel my meetings!” Haru leaned forward, a little more energized at the idea of being able to do something. 

“I’m not going to stop you if you want to, but I really don’t think we’ll be here much longer. I’m trying to get him out of this place as quickly as possible.” The girl nodded, twiddling with a lock of her hair. 

“I’ll see if I can get anything ready on this side of things... Is there anything you need? I can buy groceries or-or prepare some meals. I can watch the café if you need!” 

“Why don’t you get some light meals put together for him? I’m sure curry might be a bit too heavy on his stomach, he’s lost quite a bit of weight so we don’t want to make him sick.” Haru nodded, happy to have something to do. 

“Okay... Please, let him know I’m thinking about him.” 

“Will do.” 

Sojiro sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he hung up the phone. He really didn’t want to make Haru do anything, but he felt like the poor girl would end up worrying herself to the bone if she didn’t have a way to help. He wasn’t lying either, it may have taken a bit to notice under the blankets and bandages, but the doctor had mentioned he was malnourished and he was definitely thinner than he was when he’d last seen him, curry probably wasn’t going to be something he could stomach for a while. 

He walked back into the room to see Futaba hadn’t budged. Her head was laid on the mattress and she still held Ren’s hand. Morgana was in her lap now though. She perked up when he came back in. 

“Alright, Haru knows and is getting some stuff ready for when we get back in town. Why don’t you go ahead and let everyone else know? I wouldn’t mention anything about his parents, I told Haru it was his Father, but...” his voice drifted softly. 

“Yeah, he probably wants to let people know on his own terms...” With that the girl pulled out her phone and began texting frantically. 

Oracle: Uhm, hey everyone. So, I have some... news. Ren was attacked this morning and really hurt. He’s in a Hospital in Inaba and Sojiro and I are with him. The doctor said he’s going to be okay but... He had to have surgery on his hand because it was broken. He’s going to be coming back with us because his parents can’t take care of him right now. So, just... Yeah, we thought you should know. I’ll let you know if anything changes and when we’ll be getting back into town. Hopefully, in a couple of days. 

Skull: Shit, are you serious? 

Oracle: Yeah... 

Panther: Wait, what do you mean his parents can’t take care of him!? What kind of people do that? 

Queen: I heard about this, Sis is working on some paper work for the case... Please let him know I’m thinking about him, and if you guys need anything let me know. How’s @Noir doing? 

Noir: Sojiro called me a few minutes ago... I am... In shock but... He's going to be alright, he’s Joker... He’s our leader, but most important he’s Ren, we just need to be there to support him in all of this. 

Fox: My word... 

Oracle: He’s only woken up once since we got here, and it was only for a few minutes... He’s really weak and he can’t talk so just... I dunno... It’s really scary. 

Ren couldn’t really identify when exactly he started to become aware of his surroundings. Just one minute there was nothing and then voices started to filter into his brain. They were familiar and warm, but he couldn’t really place them yet. Then everything whited out into a blind panic when a hand laid on his shoulder. There was a small voice in the back of the terror that told him he was okay, that the person connected to this hand wouldn’t hurt him. It wasn’t loud enough though. 

Ren shot up, a scream tearing through his throat that brought with it a trail of fire. He reached his hands up to cover his mouth and throat. His chest roared in protest at his movement and he hugged himself, curling over and not even registering that hot tears were dripping down his face. 

“Ren! I’m sorry, kid, but you’ve gotta calm down!” Sojiro. Sojiro was here. A vague memory of him surfaced but Ren didn’t know if it was a dream or not. “Take a nice deep breath for me, kiddo.” It was spoken gently but was absolutely an order. He tried to quell the rising nausea, but it was beginning to be a losing battle. 

“S-sick...” he stuttered, shivers violently wracking his body. 

“Shit.” Something was shoved under his chin just in time for him to throw up what felt like everything he’d ever eaten. “Futaba can you go grab a nurse, sweetheart?” Ren’s breathing picked up again as sweat and tears poured down his face. “Can I touch you, Ren?” Sojiro asked, voice closer and softer. The boy nodded spastically, hugging his arms around his chest. His right one was heavy and clumsy. A rough calloused hand pushed back the bangs from his forehead, then ran down the back of his neck to settle on his shoulders and rub soothing circles. 

Ren panted and let his eyes flicker open. Something plastic was twisting uncomfortably around his face, he reached up and pulled on it, irritation crossing his face. 

“Hey, kid, d-don't touch that.” Sojiro carefully hooked a finger beneath Ren’s chin and turned his head to face him. “You’re okay, Ren. No one’s gonna hurt you. I’ll make sure of that... Just take some deep breaths for me, please.” The man reached up and Ren couldn’t help the little flinch that followed the action. Sojiro hesitated for a moment. “I’m just gonna fix your oxygen tube here...m’kay?” Ren gave a small nod and slowly dropped his hands from where they had frozen. 

He watched as Sojiro rearranged the nasal canula until it sat below his nose, blowing air gently and settling some of the burning in his chest. He crinkled his nose at the sensation, instinctively reaching up to scratch at it. 

“Hey, I just fixed that.” Sojiro laughed softly, settling on the side of bed. “You think you’re gonna be sick again?” Ren hummed thoughtfully. 

“M-maybe.” he croaked, wincing at the pain. Sojiro nodded and sighed, running a hand through Ren’s hair. The teenager leaned into it this time, letting his eyes flutter shut. 

“Why don’t you lie back? Futaba should be back with a nurse in just a second.” Almost as if he had summoned her, the girl in question came running back in, panic scrawled on her face. A nurse and a doctor followed close behind. 

He was much more attentive this time at the doctor’s questions and appeared to have no memory of when he woke up the first time. 

“Alright,” Sara began. “I want to go over his condition and talk about treatment plans moving forward from here on out. We want to keep you one more night, but hopefully you’ll be able to be out of here as soon as possible. Okay?” Ren nodded, hugging a pillow to his chest. Sojiro was still sat on the edge of the bed and Futaba and Morgana were settled on the windowsill looking at her phone. Though it was clear they were both listening in on what was happening. 

“The bruising around your chest and throat are obviously what was most concerning, but your oxygen levels have been holding steady and, though it’s painful to do so, you have been able to talk. The nausea I’m sorry to say is a side-effect from the pain medication we have you on and your concussion. We’ll be giving you something different for when you leave here to hopefully avoid episodes like today from happening in the future. Most of the injuries you are dealing with is just severe bruising and will heal with time. Your hand is a different story. Several of the bones in your hand and wrist were shattered so we had to put pins in to keep them together. You’ll have to take care of these until your hand is completely healed and the pins can be removed. Right now, we’re estimating they should stay in for about eight weeks. However, we’ve been told you’ll be moving back to Tokyo, so the doctors there will continue to monitor your progress every couple of weeks.” 

Ren gulped, holding his hand up, though with the cast on he couldn’t see the pins he still went a little pale. Sojiro carefully grabbed his left hand and squeezed it gently. 

“I’m gonna give you some medicine that will help with the nausea but it will make you sleepy. Although, right now sleep is the best thing for you. There’s one more thing I want to talk to you about. You’re severely underweight and are showing clear signs of sleep deprivation. We’re gonna up your caloric intake per day until you can get back to a healthy weight.” She turned to face Sojiro. “He may be sensitive to eating for a little while. Start him out light with bland foods like rice and porridge. If he gets food too fast, he’ll just end up throwing it up and that’s definitely counterproductive to what we want right now.” Sojiro nodded. “We’ll write up a diet plan for him and you can hopefully get him eating relatively consistently in a few weeks.” She turned to the nurse and nodded who brought forth a small glass of water and a pill. 

“This will help settle your stomach. Don’t try and talk too much and hopefully you’ll be ready to head home tomorrow morning.” With that doctor and the nurse left the room. Ren sighed heavily, leaning back into the pillows. Futaba walked up to the edge and Morgana jumped down from her shoulders, sitting down on the foot of the bed. 

“Everyone in the group chat hopes you feel better... Do you think you’d be up to texting them? You can use my phone.” She held it out and Ren smiled grabbing the phone in his left hand. It was slow going, since it was his non-dominant hand, but he got a quick message out to them 

Oracle: Hey, it’s Ren. I’m alive, I promise. I’ll hopefully be out of here tomorrow... Thank you for all your well wishes. 

He locked the phone and grimaced when the black screen reflected his face back at him. His cheeks were sunken in and there were deep purple and black bruises painted along his eyes and nose. There was a bandage wrapped around his neck but he could just see the edges of his Father’s handprint on his throat. He gingerly brought his fingertips to the edge of the bandage, pulling it down slightly. Then the phone lit up with a response from the group chat and it broke him out of his thoughts. 

Skull: HEY MAN! Knew you’d come back swingin’! Can’t wait to see you! If ya’ need anything just let me know! 

Ren let a soft smile pass his lips as he handed Futaba her phone back. He fought back a large yawn. Sojiro patted his leg. 

“Get some sleep, kiddo. I know it feels like that’s all you’ve been doing, but you should be able to go home tomorrow. Haru’s getting you some stuff to eat and I’m sure she’ll be the first at the door to greet you.” And once more Ren slipped away.


	6. I'll Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, this has been finished for a while but I got caught up in school! So, I'm just gonna post the rest of the fic for you guys for read instead of chapters.

The next day brought breakfast Ren fought savagely against eating. Sojiro had never seen the kid throw what he would honestly consider a fit, but he was acting more childish than the man had ever thought possible. It wasn’t until the nurse threatened that he could only go home if he ate and drank something and was able to keep it down that he gave in. He begrudgingly ate half a piece of toast and drank some water before turning incredibly pale and pushing the plate away. 

Morgana sighed and looked at Futaba, voice low as he spoke. 

“I was watching him lose weight... I watched him eat next to nothing and I didn’t say anything because the idiot kept telling me he was fine...” he murmured guilt washing over him. “I was with him all the time... but I was just... I didn’t know what to do I t-tried...” Futaba patted him gently on the head, interrupting his train of thought. 

“It’s okay, Mona... I don’t think there was much you could’ve done for him. You were there for him though, and I think over anything else that’s really important...” Morgana sniffed and looked up at her, trying to believe her words. 

After a few hours with Ren not throwing up the pathetic excuse for breakfast he was given he was cleared to travel to Tokyo. His information was transferred to Takemi and a hospital she recommended for Ren’s care and Sojiro purchased to tickets for the bullet train back home. There weren’t a lot of things that made Sojiro nervous, but he had to admit, he was not all that comfortable travelling so far with Ren so drained and visibly injured. 

Dojima had gone with Sojiro to grab some stuff from Ren’s house for him to take back with him. 

“I wouldn’t usually do this but, when he’s ready I’ll travel up to Tokyo to get his statement. The sooner the better, but I also don’t want to pressure him too much after everything.” The detective heaved a heavy sigh. “You wouldn’t mind coming back here once the investigation’s over to get the rest of his things, would you?” Sojiro shook his head. 

“No, we’ll come when he’s feeling better. Although, I’m not convinced he’ll want anything from this place anymore. This’ll be enough for now though.” The man hefted the duffle over his shoulder, thank Dojima once again before heading back to the hospital to pick Ren up. 

The travel went smoother than Sojiro anticipated but definitely wasn’t easy. The boy tried to sleep as much as he could, but every jolt of the train snapped him awake with a hiss of pain. Futaba eventually plugged in a pair of earbuds and the two watched whatever it was those two watched until they got back home. 

By the time they were walking through the back streets Sojiro was supporting most of Ren’s weight. The kid was stumbling over his feet. 

“Futaba, run ahead and unlock the gate and door for me, will ya’?” Sojiro asked, handing her the keys from his pocket. She nodded dutifully and ran off with Morgana at her heels. Ren perked up slightly as they walked past Leblanc, opening his mouth to talk before giving up and pointing at the café. 

“Kid, I’m not about to let you live by yourself when you can barely walk. If you really want to move back there once you’re better we’ll talk about it when we cross that bridge. For now, I have a guest bedroom for a reason.” Ren just slumped against him. 

Unfortunately, said bedroom was on the second floor and Ren looked utterly defeated when he saw the obstacle before him. 

“You got this, just a little more.” Ren was panting heavily by the time he was settled into the bed. He had several pillows behind him so he could sit up. 

“Haru’s on her way with dinner, alright? I know you probably won’t eat for me so I’m not giving you a choice, ya’ stubborn brat. There’s no way you can deny that girl.” Ren scowled. 

“Tr-traitor.” he flinched and rubbed his throat gently. 

“Yeah, yeah... Look, I know your throat really hurts and that you feel sick when you eat,” Sojiro began turning whatever joking mood that had been there somber. “but you’re not going to get better if you keep starving yourself. We were already told your body is gonna take a long time to heal since it doesn’t have much to work with. Haru’s bringing really light soups so hopefully you won’t be in too much pain,” he ruffled the boy’s hair affectionately. “Now, I’ll keep up on your pain meds, so let me know if your head or any of your other injuries start to hurt you too badly, okay?” Ren looked like he wanted to speak so badly but bit any retort or argument back. 

Haru had never been more anxious to get to Yongen-Jaya in her life. She was practically vibrating in the back seat of the limousine, silently hoping the driver would speed up just a little. After what felt like ages they finally arrived as close to the back streets that the limo could get. 

“Do you need help carrying anything?” The driver asked as Haru leapt out of the car and began gathering the bags she had brought. She smiled sweetly. 

“Oh, no thank you! I’ll be spending the night, so please don’t worry about picking me up until I contact you again! Drive safely!” She didn’t give the man a chance to answer before she was closing the door and rushing towards Sojiro’s house. The gate was unlocked when she got there, so she walked up the front steps and rang the doorbell. The door swung open, revealing Futaba. She smiled brightly and grabbed a bag from Haru. 

“I’m so glad you’re here!” The girl piped. “Does anything need to go into the kitchen?” She wondered, peaking at the contents. 

“The one you grabbed actually. What I have prepared for him to eat this evening is right here.” Haru answered. “I know it’s sudden but... do you mind if I?” She nodded toward the stairs. 

“Uh yeah but...” Haru stopped her ascent. “He looks really bad... Just... To prepare yourself. He’s all bruised up and he can’t really say more than one or two words and when he does it doesn’t even really sound like him at all.” Futaba fiddled with the handle of the bag, avoiding eye contact with Haru. 

“We can talk later if you want...” Haru began. “I can’t imagine how scary the past couple of days have been for you, so when he inevitably falls asleep we can have some girl time, sound good?” Futaba looked up, face much brighter than it had been previously. 

“Sounds awesome.” and with that Haru dashed up the stairs. She took one deep breath before entering the room and tried to ready herself for what he looked like. She knocked gently on the door and opened it, not able to hide the sharp gasp at the sight of her boyfriend. She walked forward and slowly placed her bags on the side table. Ren’s slate grey eyes languidly followed her. She noticed his left pupil wasn’t the same size as his right. She settled herself down by his hip and leaned forward, gently cupping the side of his face in her hand. 

“Hi...” she whispered softly. Ren smiled dopily, eyes hazy and half-lidded. 

“H-hey...” She could see him fight to stop any kind of pain from crossing his face, but he failed miserably. She ran her thumb gently along his cheek bone, careful of putting any pressure on the bruises that resided there. 

“God, I’m so glad to see you.” Haru choked out, tears starting to fall from coffee-coloured eyes. Ren grabbed her other hand, running his thumb across her knuckles. He leaned forward and let his head fall to her chest. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, working out knots as she came across them. 

Ren was sure his hair was disgusting, and he knew he probably smelled really bad, but it felt so good to be back in Haru’s arms that it overrode any form of embarrassment he might have felt. Also, if she noticed she didn’t mention it, so... Whatever. He bit his lip and fought back the tears that threatened to fall. He took a shuddering breath before he leaned back, smiling. He wished he could say more than one word without it feeling like knives where shredding apart his throat. He wanted to kiss her and tell her he was okay and talk to her all night. She must have read his mind at least somewhat because she leaned forward and pressed her lips softly to his cheek. 

“I brought you some food.” And there went the mood. Ren’s shoulders slumped as he eyed the bag on the nightstand with disdain. She grabbed the thermos and a spoon as well as a bottle of Pocari Sweat. Ren knew he needed to eat. Knew with an uncomfortable familiarity the feeling of his ribs protruding just a little too much, but he just... didn’t want to. His throat, when he wasn’t using it, still felt like it was on fire and it was still swollen so he wheezed when he breathed. Not only that, but his stomach ached, and the second he brought food near his mouth it just made it roll. 

He didn’t often actually get frustrated with Haru, but he had a feeling today would be one of those days. He also knew, she would get what she wanted quite easily. Honestly, he kind of thought he deserved a break. He grabbed his phone off the nightstand and pulled up the notes app typing as quickly as he could with one hand and turned it towards her. 

I really appreciate you making me food, but I'm really not hungry... 

Haru pushed the phone down from in front of her face, looking rather unimpressed. 

“I don’t want to cause you pain, but it’ll only be worse if you don’t eat something.” She opened a small tab on the top of the thermos and popped a metal straw in. “Look, this broth is so thin it’s just like water. I just want you to drink half of it by the end of the day. Can you do that?” Ren huffed and tried to cross his arms only to have his cast bump into his hand. A light tinkling laugh that sounded after that however made his failure to pout like a child worth it. A smile crossed his face and his eyes lit up. He grabbed Haru’s hand. 

“I-miss-ed –ou.” He choked out, trying to ignore how god awful his voice sounded. 

“I missed you too...” 

“Ew, gross, disgusting, get a room you two.” Futaba groused as she leaned against the door frame, pretending to shove a finger down her throat. 

“Th-is is...a ro-om.” Ren sniped, though he really couldn’t put any inflection in it, and it hurt like hell. Haru placed a hand over his mouth. 

“Okay, you’re not supposed to be talking at all.” she reprimanded. “Drink some of your soup.” Ren’s nose wrinkled as he grabbed the cup and sniffed at it. 

“It’s not going to bite, dork.” Futaba stepped forward with her hands shoved deep into her pockets. Ren shot her an icy glare before reluctantly sipping on it. He fought the urge to immediately spit it out but managed to get it down. 

“See, that’s not so bad.” Haru crawled over his legs and sat beside him while Futaba perched herself at the foot of the bed. 

“I actually came in here for a reason. Sojiro wants to know if you want the others to come over sometime. Although tonight might be a bit much.” She twirled a piece of her hair around her finger. “So, thumbs up for tonight, thumbs down for another time.” Ren seemed to think about it but ended up putting his thumb down. He was exhausted and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to stay awake much longer. He couldn’t even talk to them properly. “Wanna shoot for tomorrow or the day after, then?” He nodded his head and sunk deeper into his pillows. 

Futaba crinkled her nose as she leaned forward. 

“You’re gonna need a shower too. You stink.” Ren stuck his tongue out at the girl. 

The three of them just kind of hung out for the next several hours. Haru had to keep reminding Ren to eat and he ended up nodding off several times. Sojiro came in in the evening and gave him his pain killers, which would definitely knock him out for the night. He also brought up curry for Haru and Futaba. There was a part of Ren that really missed it, the smell bringing a sense of safety and nostalgia. The part of him that had lived off convenience store food stashed away beneath his bed wanted to throw up at the idea of that much food. By the time he had finished half of the soup Haru had brought he was practically falling asleep. He felt himself drift off but jolted back up at the feeling of the thermos beginning to drop out of his hand. 

Luckily, Haru had managed to grab it before it crashed to the floor and sat it on the table. He leaned up a little, when Sojiro walked in and gently scooped Futaba up, who had conked out on the foot of the bed. 

“Get some sleep. Both of you. I’m trusting you don’t have the energy to be doing anything stupid, and I would feel bad making Haru sleep on the couch.” Sojiro laughed at the deep blush the spread across both of the kids’ faces. “Morgana,” he still felt so weird talking to the cat. “I’m leaving these two under your supervision.” and with that the man left. 

Ren will blame what he said next on the fact that the pain meds had not only made him loopy, but brought the pain down in his throat, and he also had a concussion. 

“W-wanna do something stupid?” he wondered cheekily. Haru rolled her eyes and playfully smacked Ren’s shoulder. 

“Hush, no, I don’t.” She cut off the lights and crawled back into the bed and under the covers, settling herself on the pillow. She wanted to hug him so badly, but she was terrified of causing him any more damage. He seemed to sense her distress though and gingerly coaxed her to lay her head on his shoulder. 

“N-night, Haru.” he whispered. 

“Goodnight, Ren-Ren.” Right before he fell asleep, he felt a familiar weight settle against his leg and the gentle sound of Morgana’s soft breaths. 

Ren’s healing is slow but as the weeks go on, he gets better. His voice is almost back to normal in three weeks, though it still cracks from time to time, much to Sojiro’s amusement. He has more movement in the fingers on his right hand so that for the most part he can text with both hands, which seems to bring him quite a bit of relief. Most of his bruises are gone or just a faint yellow ghost of what they once were. The hardest part has been getting the damn kid to eat. 

It’s been a month since he got back and he was supposed to be eating three small meals a day at this point. Sojiro was lucky if the kid ate two full meals. He was also putting on that stupid brave face that Sojiro had hoped the kid would abandon with the Phantom Thieves. Sojiro knew full well the kid would have to come to terms with his abuse at some point, he just wished it would come sooner rather than later. 

He saw the flinches when men walked into the café, and how he shied away from anyone strange. Hell, if Sojiro moved too fast or too loud the kid went scrambling for cover. The worst part was he couldn’t blame him, he had almost been murdered a month ago. Ren had apologized profusely the first few times it happened, constantly reminding Sojiro that he wasn’t scared of him, he just couldn’t stop the reaction. 

He spent most of his time cooped up in his room, Haru practically lived in there with him and the Thieves were on a rotation of who would force him to eat and when. Sojiro never knew Ryuji had self control until he saw him with Ren. He moved gently but with enough sound for Ren to always know where he was. His voice never raised past a tone perfect for casual conversation. Ryuji was leaving one evening when Futaba asked him something Sojiro wished he had been able to stop her from had he remembered. 

“What alien traded places with you?” she snarked. “I didn’t know you knew how to speak in anything below a yell.” Ryuji had simply smiled and shrugged. 

“I’ve been in a similar place.” was all he offered before throwing a chipper goodbye over his shoulder and leaving the house. 

“Crap... How could I forget something like that...” Futaba murmured, collapsing back onto the couch. “I’m gonna have to say sorry, aren’t I?” she stared balefully over at her Sojiro. 

“Yeah, definitely.” 

Four weeks later found Ren, Haru, and Sojiro at the hospital to have the pins in Ren’s hand removed. Ren was understandably nervous. It was out-patient though, so he would be back in his bed by this evening as long as he didn’t like, aspirate, or something. Haru was holding his left hand as the nurses explained the procedure to him and reconfirmed the name of his doctor and which hand would be operated on about three hundred times. Initially they had asked everyone to leave while they gave him the nerve block, but he squeezed Haru’s hand when she got up to leave and quietly asked if she could stay. She was tucked back against the bed to be out of the way of the nurses while they did their thing, but never let go of Ren’s hand. 

They were about to bring the needle towards him to inject the nerve block when he flinched back and cowered towards Haru. The girl suddenly remembered a couple of weeks after he had returned from his month and a half in solitary. A dark and quiet night together had brought forth the horrors that had been forced on him during his interrogation before Shido’s palace. It had involved big needles and an experimental truth serum. The nurse had paused, a concerned look crossing her features. 

“It’ll be okay, RenRen…” Haru cooed. “I’m right here with you.” Ren nodded and relaxed enough, nodded his consent for the nurse to continue. 

“Now, you probably start to feel real woozy after we give you this, hon.” The nurse explained. “But we’ll be here to take care of you and I’m sure your girlfriend will be happy to stay with you until we take you back for the surgery. Should only be a couple of hours and then we’ll have you in recovery and back home before the sun’s down. Sound good?” She offered the teen a sweet smile as he whispered out a hoarse “yes.” 

Haru tried her best to hold back hot tears as she took her seat beside Sojiro in the waiting room. Seeing Ren so scared and then so out of it was more than a little unsettling. She hated seeing the love of her life with so little control over himself. He had nearly panicked when he felt the drugs begin to kick in, but she had been able to stave off the attack until the medicine kicked in enough to where he could barely string together a cohesive sentence. 

Sojiro offered her a gentle smile and rubbed gentle circles on her shoulders. 

“He’ll be okay, Haru.” 

“I know he will… He was so scared though… I hated leaving him like that.” Sojiro sighed and dropped his hand. 

“Well, he’s not scared anymore right now, and we’ll be there when he wakes up.” 

Futaba had requested that Sojiro record Ren when he was waking up from anesthesia and the several hours following. He honestly wasn’t so sure it was a smart idea until he got an idea of how stable the boy would be. He had had several panic attacks since arriving in Tokyo, and Sojiro wasn’t sure he wouldn’t be thrown into one upon waking up with little to no idea where he was and what was happening around him. 

He and Haru were brought back to recovery only two hours later. Ren was groggily leaning up, eyes glazed and face pale as a nurse was coaxing him into sipping on water. His right hand no longer had a cast on it but did have crisp white wrapping around the incision sites. He didn’t seem at all aware that they had even entered the curtained off area. 

“Ren,” the nurse began. “Look who’s here to see you.” She gently lifted the boy’s face to help him spot his family. The second they landed on Haru his grey eyes widened, a deep scarlet blush spreading over his face and his lips spread into a lopsided dopey smile. 

“W-woah…” his voice was slurred and low in a way Haru had only heard on specific occasions. Once, right after his interrogation when Takemi had finally cleared him safe for pain meds and he was doped up for an entire day. Any other time was when they were curled up in either his or her room, deep into the night when their voices were the only ones that mattered. 

“How ya’ feelin, kid?” Sojiro wondered. 

“Rea-lly good.” he said, never once taking his eyes off of Haru. The girl fidgeted slightly under his blatant stare. 

“Ren?” she wondered gently. 

“W-who?” he glanced back and forth between the nurse and Haru, his face growing confused. The nurse laughed softly, which instantly helped ease the immense worry that initially swallowed Haru at that question. 

“That’s your girlfriend, Ren. Do you remember her name?” Ren’s jaw dropped. 

“HER?” he cried, eyes frantically dancing between Haru and everyone else in the room. “No way… You’re so pretty.” He looked over to Sojiro. “H-how?” The man shrugged, definitely not bringing attention to the fact that he had started recording after he had said he felt good. 

“Don’t ask me kid, in my opinion she could’ve done way better.” Ren looked a little affronted for a minute but his addled brain couldn’t hold onto the feeling for too long. 

“Ren,” The nurse started again patiently. “Can you tell me her name?” Haru couldn’t help but giggle at Ren’s expense. He was clearly handling the recovery pretty well, which was a relief. His eyebrows furrowed together in thought. Suddenly, his storm cloud eyes lit up. 

“HARU!” he exclaimed, face bright. 

“Good job--Oh, okay, we’re not standing yet.” The nurse smiled and pressed him back gently when he tried to walk towards Haru, which was more of him tilting sideways. Haru honestly wouldn’t have registered he was even trying to walk. Keeping her hand on Ren’s chest she turned to address the two others in the room. 

“He’ll need to stay here for maybe another thirty minutes to let some of the drugs begin to filter out of his system. Once that happens we’ll wheel him out to your car and he’ll be free to go home. He’ll probably sleep most of this off.” Her face turned sad for a minute as she looked over at Ren, who didn’t seem to be taking anything in at the moment. “We did read his file about trauma and potential PTSD. It’s possible as he becomes a little more lucid but is still under the effects of the anesthesia that could be made worse. So, until this evening I would keep a close eye on him. Hopefully though he’ll sleep through the worst of it.” Sojiro nodded. 

“What about physical therapy?” 

“He shouldn’t need too much with this kind of injury. When he comes in, in a couple of weeks for post-op check-ups we’ll give him some instructions and exercises he can complete at home to strengthen the muscles in his hands back up.” 

The nurse was right. Ren slept pretty much straight through to the evening. Haru, ever the doting girlfriend, was there whenever he woke up. He had started to panic sometime in the afternoon, but Haru chased away whatever haunted thoughts that swirled around in his mind before they had a chance to overcome him. 

It was a week out from Ren’s surgery when Sojiro walked into the living room to find Ren and Futaba curled up on the couch. Futaba was fast asleep and Ren was staring blankly at whatever movie that had been playing. His eyes were glazed over and his breathing was somewhat shallow. Sojiro sighed. He hated these moments, he didn’t like it when the kid disassociated, he knew it was bad for him, but what was also bad for him, was scaring the poor kid out of his mind if he made a noise. He slowly made his way in front of the TV. He stayed back a few feet so he wouldn’t be right in the kid’s face. 

“Ren?” he tried. Nothing. “Ren, buddy, I need ya’ back.” Futaba’s eyes fluttered open and she leaned up yawning. She cast a confused glance at Sojiro when he immediately raised a finger to his lips. She turned to face her brother and her shoulders drooped. She crept off the couch as quietly as she could and sat beside her Father. 

“You wanna try?” he wondered softly. “He’ll probably react better to you getting him back down to Earth than me.” Futaba nodded and straightened her glasses. 

“Hey, Ren.” Futaba carefully reached a hand out, “You promised you’d stay awake for this one.” she muttered as if he herself hadn’t passed out during the film. “We’re gonna have to start it over.” Ren inhaled sharply as he came back to himself. He brought a hand to his head as he listed sideways. Sojiro instinctively went to catch him, which was apparently a horrible idea, because Ren shrieked. The kid scrambled back and fell over the side of the couch, crashing in an uncoordinated pile of limbs with a painful sounding thud. 

“Jesus, Ren! Are you okay?” Sojiro stayed where he was as Ren carefully sat up, finally taking in his surroundings. 

“Shit...” he cursed. 

“Did you hit your head?” Futaba inquired, concern lacing her voice. 

“No.” 

Sojiro sighed, they couldn’t keep doing this. The kid had to talk. He had been refusing therapy up until this point and Sojiro had been avoiding pulling the Dad card and forcing him into it. His last guardian with the title “dad” wasn’t exactly pleasant, but this had to come to an end. 

“Kid, you need to talk to someone.” Ren stiffened, steely eyes flashing red for a split second. They must’ve been reflecting light from the TV but it was creepy as shit nonetheless. 

“I told you I’m fine. I just need a little time.” he snapped. 

“And I’m willing to give you all the time you need to get back to whatever normal will follow all of this. But Ren... You can’t get there if you’re bottling all this up.” Ren actually snarled at that as he shot to his feet. Sojiro and Futaba both rose and the girl ducked behind him slightly. 

“Look, I’m eternally grateful for you taking me in.” Well that wasn’t a good start. “But no offense, I’ve been dealing with this shit from day one, I think I know how to cope.” He tried to move past but Sojiro grabbed his arm. Ren could easily break of the grip if he wanted to, Sojiro was not about to restrain this kid. 

“Ren, this isn’t coping.” 

“What the hell do you know? You’re not exactly the kind of person to talk about their feelings. Let me go, I’m tired.” Ren jerked his arm free, but Futaba stood in front of him. Sojiro knew he would never hurt her but with how fired up he was he couldn’t say he wasn’t a little nervous about what would come out of his mouth. 

“I’m not in the mood, Futaba.” it was cold, but much kinder than the voice he had been using with Sojiro. 

“Dad’s right.” She said sternly. “I bottled all my stuff up until I had my own palace. Until I was so far into my own head I couldn’t separate reality from what was screaming in my mind. Please, we don’t have a way to steal your heart the way you stole mine.” Tears were starting to well up in her eyes. “Don’t hurt yourself anymore. Please, just talk to us.” Ren gently laid his hand on Futaba’s head and ruffled her hair, a mockery of his usually bright smile crossing his face. 

“You’re my little sister, Oracle. You aren’t supposed to save me. I’ll be fine... I’m just overtired.” he turned to shoot a tired glare at Sojiro. “Which is why I would like to go to bed.” 

“No, Ren. We’ve been playing this game for over two months now.” Sojiro tried to keep his voice calm but his child was suffering, and he couldn’t stand to watch it anymore. “You either agree to start going to the therapist Takemi told us about or you talk to me. One or the other, kid.” 

“Oh, you’re actually trying to parent me now?” Ren barked. And okay, ouch, that one hurt. Sojiro saw it for what it was, Ren was defending himself the only way he knew how right now. Didn’t mean it didn’t sting any less. 

“Hey!” Futaba snapped. “Don’t talk to him like that.” Ren groaned. 

“Will, both of you just... Stop treating me like I’m about to break for like, two seconds?” He sidestepped Futaba. “I don’t need anyone to fix me.” 

“We know that.” Sojiro muttered softly. “We just want you to know you don’t have to it by yourself.” Ren whipped around eyes blazing. 

“I’ve done EVERYTHING by myself! I don’t need you butting into my life where no one was there beforehand! I was fine then and I’m fine now! I don’t need a Dad! I don’t need a sister! I don’t need anyone! I don’t NEED YOU TO FIX ME!” The quiet that followed was horrific. Ren was panting, tears building up but refusing to fall. Futaba sniffled before running past him and into her room, slamming the door shut. 

Then the kid collapsed and let out the most guttural scream Sojiro had ever heard. The man swore his heart shattered into a million pieces. He was immediately on the floor and pulling the kid into his chest. Ren’s arms scrabbled for purchase as he gripped his shirt as tightly as possible. Heaving, gut-wrenching sobs tearing from his throat. 

“Oh, Ren... Shhh, buddy, you’re gonna make yourself sick.” Sojiro pulled him so the teenager was practically in his lap. He laid his cheek on the kid’s fluffy curls and gently stroked his hair. “It’s gonna be okay, kiddo. Just breathe.” 

“H-he... It...” he heaved in a breath that caught on a sob and sent him into a coughing fit. Sojiro tried to ease him through it and rubbed his back with the hand that wasn’t tangled in his mess of hair. 

“What did I do?” he cried, chest lurching with each uneven breath. “What did I do? Why didn’t they... Why d-didn't they l-love me?” Sojiro couldn’t help the tears that dripped down his face. God, this kid didn’t deserve this shit. “I-I tr-tried to b-be good. I-I... God, I thought I was gonna die.” Sojiro pulled him tighter to his chest. “They were a-always awful... b-but I nev-er thought...” 

“Okay, okay, shh, it’s alright... It’s okay, you’re safe now.” Sojiro never thought in a million years he’d be cradling Ren in his lap. He also never thought the kid’s father would try and murder him either. 

“I-I’m sorry.” he hiccupped. “I’m sorry I said that... p-please do-don't give me back...” a full body shiver raced through Ren’s body. Sojiro pulled back and gripped Ren’s chin so he would look him in the face. His storm cloud eyes were blood shot and his cheeks and nose were splotchy as tears streaked down his face. 

“Never.” Sojiro emphasized the word by shaking Ren’s head just the tiniest bit. “Never in a million years, would I send you back or give you up, no matter what you do. You’re my kid, were before all of this mess happened and will be for the rest of your life. We just have a fancy piece of paper that lets the rest of the world know it now.” Sojiro sighed. “I’m sorry I let you go back there at all in the first place.” 

“Wasn’t your fault.” he mumbled, voice wet. “I... I’m s-sorry I yelled...” Panic flooded his eyes. “F-Futaba.” A frail hand gently rested on his shoulder and he looked back. She still had tear tracks racing down her face, but she smiled sweetly. 

“It’s not like I haven’t said some nasty stuff when I’m hurting either. I forgive you.” she leaned down and wrapped her arms around her brother. Ren practically cocooned her with his body, shoulders shaking as his sobs started anew. “S-stop.” She giggled. “I don’t wanna start c-crying again.” Ren let out a wet little laugh as they separated. 

“Alright,” Sojiro said as he heaved himself off the floor. “How about we re-watch whatever movie you both conked out to, huh? I think we deserve it, don’t’chya think?” The kids nodded. 

Futaba fussed over Ren as she began throwing every blanket she could find over him. They were all settled down on the couch, Ren on Sojiro’s right and Futaba on his left, both curled into his sides. The movie hadn’t even started yet and their eyelids were drooping. 

“I’ll go...” Ren murmured, voice slightly hoarse. 

“Go where, buddy?” Sojiro wondered, eyes never leaving the screen. 

“To therapy... I-I think I may be a little messed up...” Sojiro snorted. 

“Aren’t we all?” 

Both kids were out cold within fifteen minutes. Sojiro ran his fingers through their hair and smiled. God, he would do anything for these kids, he loved them so damn much. That was his last thought before he followed their example and fell asleep.


End file.
